Weighing-machine.



PATENTED'JUNE 27, 1905.

L. W. GIBBONS. WEIGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 793,434. PATENTED JUNE '27, 1905.

L. w GIBBONS.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 813F120, 1904.

2 BHEETS-SHEEI 2.

WWW I 1 I My My elevation thereof.

Patented June 27, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

LIEBIG WALLIS GIBBON S, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WEIGHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,434, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed September 20, 1904. Serial No- 225,258.

certain new and usefullmprovement in Weighing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the hopper, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 00 m of Fig. 1.

The object of my invention has been to provide a weighing-machine that shall be accurate and rapid in its action, that shall be simple and cheap in construction, that the automatic features thereof shall not be easily gotten out of order, and when such features are out of order that can be used as an ordinary scale, that permits of a ready tempering of the flow of the material, and that enables the weight in the bag to be accurately determined without removing the bag from the machine; and to such ends my invention consists in the weighing-machine hereinafter specified.

In carrying my invention into practice I provide an ordinary lever-scale A, consisting of a platform a, supported upon the ordinary levers, which it is not necessary to describe,

the said levers being connected with the scalearm B,,the latter having the usual weightsupport C, hooked to a link in the outer end of the scale-arm and having, if-desired, the usual sliding weight D. Upon the platform a is mounted any convenient form of bagholder. The form which I have chosen for illustration consists of rods D, which support a funnel 03, having means, as an outwardlyextending flange d and hooks (Z by which the mouth of a bag may be engaged and supported thereon. Above the funnel d is a chute E, which is filled with the material to be bagged or weighed. The said chute terminates at its lower end in a sheet-metal spout F, which is preferably tapering in form and whose side plates f are turned inwardly, forming flanges f along the bottom edges of the sides of the spout. A gate G is hung by rods g from pivots g on the sides of the spout, the gate being preferably curved on an arc struck from the said pivots and the sides of the spout, together with their flanges, having the same curve. Upon the lower side of the gate or other convenient point a handle g is attached. To close the gate, I provide a weight H, which is freely movablein vertical guides I. The said weight is connected with the gate, as by a cable or cord K passing over a pulley L and attached to the gate, as by a yoke M, that is attached to a cross-bar on the gate. A guide on is provided to support the yoke. The weight is maintained in its upper position solely by the attraction of an electromagnet N, the said magnet being placed at the upper end of the weight-guide. The coils of the said magnet are connected by wires 02 and a, respectively, with binding-posts O and P on a bracket Q, secured to the frame of the scale, the said bracket being located near the outer end of the scale-beam. From the binding-post O a thin flexible connection 0', as a piece of fusewire, extends to an upper contact R, that is mounted upon an insulation S, as fiber or binding-tape, mounted upon the scale-beam. A lower contact T is mounted on the bracket Q and is connected with the binding-post P. The electric current may be obtained from any convenient source, as from a lightingcircuit.

In the operation of my weighing-machine, a bag being in place ready to be filled, the gate is pulled back by means of the handle, and this action through the cable raises the weight into contact with the poles of the magnet, and the magnet being energized by the current which passes through the circuit, the circuit being closed owing to the scale-beam being in its lowest position, the magnet sustains the weight in its elevated position. The weight having been raised by the gate, the gate can now be moved forward to close the spout more or less and "temper the flow of the material into the bag. When the bag has been filled to the desired amount, the scale-beam rises and breaks the circuit by the separation of the contacts. The magnetloses its energy, and the weight instantly falls, closing the gate and leaving precisely the desired amount of material in the bag.

It will be seen that my weighing-machine has the followingadvantages: It is extremely simple, requiring but few elements besides the necessary elements for weighing and bagging material. It can of course be used for weighing material in any kind of receptacle or package or for any purpose. I Vhen the weight has once been raised, the flow of material can be readily tempered by movement of the gate, the flexible or yielding connection between the gate and the weightpermitting movement of the gate toward the weight into a closing position and also away from the weight. No power is taken from the scale-beam to operate the releasing mechanism, so that the scale-beam is free to accurately indicate the weight of material in the bag, and it is not necessary to move the bag to another scale in order to weigh it. It can be instantly told whether the bag happens to be light or heavy, and correction can be made accordingly to make the beam balance. The machine can be set to weigh the desired amount without experiment-that is, without having to [ill a bag and then take it to another machine to weigh it. The electric circuit is exceedingly simple and not liable to get out of order. Should the releasing mechanism get out of order, it is only necessary to disconnect the weight from the gate, and the machine is instantly ready for use in the ordinary nonautomatic way. There are no delicate moving parts. The flanges on the sides of the spout assist to prevent leakage at the gate and direct the flow toward the center of the bag, thus tending to prevent scattering.

It is obvious that various changes can be made in the foregoing construction which will be within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is- 1. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a scale having a scale-beam, a spout above said scale, a gate, a weight that is adapted to close said gate, a connection between said gate and said weight, said connection permitting said gate to approach said weight, but not permitting it to recede from said weight beyond a given distance, whereby the flow of material through said spout can be tempered, a magnet for sustaining said weight in elevated position, and an electric circuit for said magnet, including contacts, one of such contacts being mounted upon a moving part of the machine.

2. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a scale having a scale-beam, a spout above said scale, a gate, a Weight adapted to close said gate, a flexible connection between said gate and said weight, a magnet for sustaining said weightin an elevated position. whereby the flow of material through said spout can be temperedf and an electric circuit for said magnet, including contacts, one of such contacts being mounted upon a moving part of the machine.

3. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a scale, a spout above said scale, a gate, a weight adapted to close said gate, a connection between said gate and said Weight, said connection permitting movement of said gate toward said Weight, but not permitting movement of said gate away from said weight beyond a given distance, a magnet for sustaining said weight in elevated position, whereby the flow of material through the spout can be tempered, and an electric circuit for said magnet, including contacts, one of such contacts being mounted upon a moving part of the machine.

4. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a scale having a scale-beam, a spout above said scale, a pivoted gate having its pivot above the mouth of said spout, a weight adapted to close said gate, said gate having a bail and a handle attached thereto, a cord connecting said bail with said weight, a magnet for sustaining said weight in elevated position, and an electric circuit for said magnet, including contacts, one of said contacts being mounted upon a moving part of the machine.

5. In a weighing-machine, the combination of a scale having a scale-beam, a bracket on the frame near the outer end of said scalcbeam, insulation mounted on said scale-beam, a contact supported by said insulation, a flexible wire connecting said contact with a binding-post on said bracket, a second contact mounted on said bracket and adapted to coact with said first-mentioned contact, a spout for directing material into a receptacle held by said scale, and electric appliances for closing said spout, said appliances including a circuit, one end of which is connected with said contact on said bracket, and the other end of which is connected with said binding-post.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

LIEBIG WALLIS GIBBONS.

/Vitnesses:

C. B. VVnLLs, LOUIS F. Sums.

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